Horry County Education Capital Improvement Sales Tax up for renewal

HORRY COUNTY, S.C. (WMBF) -- In 2008, Horry County voters approved the Education Capital Improvement Sales Tax.

For nearly 15 years, $953.6 million has been collected from the 1% sales tax, which expires in March 2024.

The capital improvement funds are split between Horry County Schools which receives 80%, Coastal Carolina University receives 13.3% and Horry-Georgetown Technical College receives 6.7% of the revenue.

As voters head to the polls they’ll have the choice to renew the sales taxes for another 15 years or let them expire in 2024 by voting yes or no on their ballot.

The 1% sales tax has since reduced the millage levied on behalf of the school district for debt service from 28 mills to 10 mills, provided a revenue stream to help pay for growth, and allowed for more collaboration for educational programs among Horry County Schools, Coastal Carolina University, and Horry-Georgetown Technical College.

If it’s not renewed property taxes would likely rise to help fund future capital improvement projects.

Horry County Schools is one of the fastest-growing school districts in South Carolina with more than 46,000 students enrolled.

Coastal Carolina University and HGTC are also reporting record-breaking growth with HGTC hitting an all-time enrollment record for the 2022-2023 school year with over 8,250 students.

The question on the ballot is lengthy but can be previewed ahead of time by requesting a sample ballot on scvotes.gov.

Based on historical collections, the penny sales tax is expected to generate nearly $2 billion over the next 15 years through 2039.

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